


The Missing Piece Of Me

by PrincessOfTheUnderdark



Category: BMBLB - Fandom, Bumblebee - Fandom, Bumbleby-RWBY - Fandom, RWBY, bumbleby
Genre: Adam (mentioned) - Freeform, Blake Belladonna - Freeform, Bumblebee - Freeform, Bumbleby - Freeform, F/F, Past Abuse, Past Rape/Non-con, Ruby Rose - Freeform, Weiss Schnee - Freeform, Yang Xiao Long - Freeform, slight AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-08
Updated: 2018-06-19
Packaged: 2019-01-31 01:35:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 12,620
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12665586
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PrincessOfTheUnderdark/pseuds/PrincessOfTheUnderdark
Summary: Yang is automatically drawn to Blake. Blake feels compelled to spill her secrets to the blonde. The two will inevitably fall together, will they crash and burn or build each other up from the shadows? The first chapter is very close to cannon and events in the show, with a few new ideas and thoughts thrown in. Please forgive me... This is awful, at this point I'm just doing this because I've read all the good Blake Yang fics.





	1. How Do Words Work Again?

All I have going for me is sarcasm and a killer right hook, literally. My entire life I’ve held so much anger inside, so deep seated I’m not sure it will ever go away. Ever since I was little I’ve felt as if something was missing, a piece of myself. I had thought it was because my mother abandoned me when I was just a baby, but now I’m not so sure. I constantly feel the need for more, more of what I do not know. I put all of my energy into my training and getting into Beacon, but still I feel empty. It broke my heart when our father lost Ruby’s mother and that my little sister had lost the person she loved the most, I knew the pain of growing up without a mom and I never wanted Ruby to experience that. That little girl was the one person I cared for above all else. My fiery personality tended to push everyone away, well…everyone except Ruby, Ruby loved me no matter what. She stuck up for me, even when I didn’t deserve it, like the little warrior she is. I tend to pick fights with everyone, it’s all I’m good at. Thank the gods that she never figured out I developed a lot of underworld connections over the years in my search for my mother. I honed my fighting skills not only in my classes at Signal but also in my search for information. All of that work had paid off as I found myself on an aircraft destined for Beacon Academy with my little sister by my side, but something was still missing.  
***  
After we landed I dashed off with my friends, only slightly feeling bad for leaving Ruby by herself. She would be fine… right?  
“So, Xiao Long,” my friend David said trying to be smooth, “I upped my training over the summer. I think I can take you now, wanna spar?” Our group of five walked casually around campus. It had been all summer since I’d seen Melanie, David, Emily, and Raylan. I missed their playful banter, even though David was less than subtle with his crush on me, they were like a security blanket.  
“You, definitely can’t handle me D,” I playfully punched his shoulder and he almost fell over.   
“Hey,” he pouted at me as he rubbed his shoulder earning a dual eye-roll from the happy couple Emily and Raylan. They were too wrapped up in their own little conversations to be too talkative with the rest of us.  
“Told you so,” I laughed at him as we walked around the courtyard heading to the assembly hall.  
“So, your sister got into Beacon,” Mel asked as we walked sounding impressed, “I always knew she was special.”  
“Yeah, she’s special alright,” I smiled knowing that Ruby was going to do amazing here. I should probably go make sure she’s okay, “Hey, listen. I’m gonna go meet up with her. I’ll see you guys later.” I waved goodbye and walked into the assembly hall to look for my sister.  
“Ruby,” I yelled to her over the crowd as I spotted her, “Over here! I saved you a spot!”   
She looked relieved to see me and slightly angry. I tried to charm her with a smile, “How’s your first day going, little sister?”  
“You mean since you ditched me and I exploded?” She sounded bitter and I felt slightly bad about leaving her.  
“Yikes! Meltdown already?”  
“No, I literally exploded a hole in front of the school! And there was some fire, and I think some ice…?”  
“Are you being sarcastic?”  
“I wish! I tripped over some crabby girl’s luggage, and then she yelled at me, and then I sneezed, and then I exploded, and then she yelled again, and I felt really, really bad, and I just wanted her to stop yelling at me!”  
“You!” A loud whining voice shouted.  
“Oh, god, it’s happening again!” Ruby jumped into my arms like she used to when she was little and scared of thunderstorms.   
“You’re lucky we weren’t blown off the side of the cliff!” The white haired girl quipped.  
“Oh, my god, you really exploded…” I trailed off shocked at my baby sister’s misfortune.  
“It was an accident,” she hopped out of my arms, “It was an accident! What’s this?”  
“The Schnee Dust Company is not responsible for any injuries or damages sustained while operating a Schnee Dust Company product. Although not mandatory, the Schnee Family highly encourages their customers to read and familiarize themselves with this easy to follow guide to Dust applications and practices in the field,” the girl held up a copy of Dust for Dummies.  
“Uhh…?”  
“You really want to start making things up to me?”  
“Absolutely?” Ruby looked skeptical.  
“Read this, and don’t ever speak to me again,” the girl snapped.  
“Look, uh, it sounds like you two just got off on the wrong foot. Why don’t you start over and try to be friends, okay?” I desperately tried to smooth things over between the two. Ruby had this thing where she wanted everyone to like her.  
“Yeah! Great idea, sis!” Ruby held her hand out to the snobby girl, “Hello Weiss, I’m Ruby! Wanna hang out? We can go shopping for school supplies!”  
“Yeah! And we can paint our nails and try on clothes and talk about cute boys, like tall, blond, and scraggly over there!”   
“Wow, really?!”  
“NO!” Weiss snapped. Thank god Ozpin stepped up to the podium, I would have hated to get into a fight on my first day at Beacon.  
“I’ll keep this brief, you have travelled here today in search of knowledge. To hone your craft and acquire new skills and when you’ve finished you plan to dedicate your life to the protection of your people. But as I look among you all I see is wasted energy in need of purpose, direction. You assume knowledge will free you of this, but your time at this school will prove that knowledge can only carry you so far. It is up to you to take the first step,” Ozpin left the stage, handing over the mic to Glynda.  
“You will gather in the ballroom tonight. Tomorrow your initiation begins, be ready. You’re dismissed.”  
“He seemed kind of…off.”  
“It’s almost like he wasn’t even there.”  
“I’m a natural blonde you know,” tall blonde and scraggly said, I think he was trying to redeem himself for puking on the ship.  
“Let’s go get some food Ruby,” I elbowed her.   
“Food,” her eyes got huge and I laughed at her as we headed out to the fairgrounds.  
“What kind of food are you in the mood for?”  
“Cookies?”  
“Haha, okay, but only after some real food,” I pulled her toward the stand, where we ate and talked until it was time to head to the ballroom.  
***  
“It’s like a big slumber party!” I flopped down on my sleeping bag next to Ruby’s.  
“I don’t think Dad would approve of all the boys, though,” she said not looking up from what she was doing.   
“I know I do!” I purred out as I looked over the all the abs until Jaune stepped into my view wearing footie pajamas, and waving to us. I groaned and turned back to Ruby, “what’s that?”  
“A letter to the gang back at Signal. I promised to tell them all about Beacon and how things are going.”  
“Aw, that's so cuuuute!”  
“Shut up! I didn't get to take my friends with me to school! It's weird not knowing anyone here!” I ducked as she threw a pillow at my face.  
“What about Jaune? He's... nice! There you go! Plus one friend! That's a hundred percent increase!”  
“Pretty sure Weiss counts as a negative friend. Back to zero...” Ruby said turning onto her back.  
“There's no such things as negative friends! You just made one friend and one enemy!” I was hit with another pillow, this one looked like our dog Zwei, “Look, it's only been one day. Trust me; you've got friends all around you! You just haven't met them yet!”   
A candle was lit nearby and it drew Ruby’s attention, “That girl...”  
“You know her?” I looked over at the girl and I was taken aback, she was gorgeous. I’d always considered myself pretty fluid in my sexuality, the complete opposite of innocent Ruby. I had never told her that I’d done stuff with both girls and guys, I’m not sure how she would handle that. I felt myself drawn to the girl in the corner, she would be a challenge for sure. There was always something about the girls who were the hardest to win over that made it so much better when they finally gave in. I lived for the thrills and challenges of life, it helped me to ignore the hole inside of me.  
“Not really. She saw what happened this morning, but left before I could say anything.”  
“Well, now's your chance!” I grabbed Ruby's arm and lifted her up.  
“Wait! What are you doing?!” Ruby squirmed as I drug her toward the girl.  
“Hel-looooo!” I sang out as the adrenaline began roaring through my veins the closer we got, “I believe you two may know each other?”  
“Aren't you... that girl that exploded?” She asked Ruby.  
“Uh, yeah,” Ruby extended her arm toward her but she didn’t take it, “My name is Ruby. But you can just call me crater…dah. Actually, you can just call me Ruby.”  
“Okay,” she said not looking up.  
“What are you doing,” I whispered to Ruby.  
“I don’t know,” she whispered back, “help me.”  
“Sooo, what’s your name?” I asked.  
“Blake.”  
“Well Blake, I’m Yang,” I gestured to myself with a thumb, “Ruby’s older sister. I like your bow.”  
“Thanks.”  
“It goes great with your,” I paused awkwardly when she looked up at me. Her eyes were amber and I felt myself melting into them. Oh, no, “pajamas.”  
“Right.”  
“Nice night, don’t you think?” I was talking really fast now, nervous for some god awful reason, I’d never failed this badly with a girl before.  
“Yes, it’s lovely. Almost as lovely as this book. That I will continue to read. As soon as you leave,” she said in an annoyed tone.  
“Yeah, this girl is a lost cause,” I started to lead Ruby away, slightly disappointed. Maybe I’d lost my touch, maybe this girl was too much of a challenge for me.  
“What’s it about?” Ruby asked quietly.  
“Huh?” Blake looked up surprised and her attitude softened a bit.  
“Your book, does it have a name?”  
“Well, it’s about a man with two souls, each fighting for control over his body.”  
“Oh, yeah. That’s real lovely,” I said awkwardly as I watched her light up at the conversation. I almost wished I had thought to ask, but then again I was never really into books I just read to Ruby because she loved listening to the stories.  
“I love books, Yang used to read to me every night before bed. Stories of heroes and monsters, they’re one of the reasons I wanted to become a huntress.”  
“Why is that,” her voice held a bitter tone. I wondered what happened to her to make her hate fairytales so much. She was harsh with her words, “Hoping you’ll live happily ever after?”  
“Well, I’m hoping we all will,” Ruby said passionately, “as a girl I wanted to be just like those heroes in the books. Someone who fought for what was right and protected people who couldn’t protect themselves.”  
“That’s…very ambitious for a child. Unfortunately the real world isn’t the same as a fairytale.”  
“Well, that’s why we’re here, to make it better.”  
“Oh, I’m so proud of my baby sister,” love and pride filled my chest with warmth as I pulled Ruby into a tight bear hug that, as usual, broke into a fight.  
“Well, Ruby, Yang. It’s a pleasure to have…”  
“What in the world is going on over here,” Weiss came storming over, “don’t you realize some people are trying to sleep?”  
“Oh, not you again,” My sister and I said in unison.   
“Shh, guys she’s right, people are trying to sleep,” Ruby did a complete 180.  
“Oh, now you’re on my side,” the heiress scoffed.  
“I was always on your side,” Ruby argued.  
“Yeah, what’s your problem with my sister,” I clenched my fists, energy had built up inside me today. I hadn’t worked out or anything and my hands were starting to itch for the chance to connect with something, “She’s only trying to be nice.”  
“She’s a hazard to my health,” Weiss proclaimed with a stomp of her foot. Just then Blake blew out the candle that was providing the only light.   
***  
Ren headed out while a skipping Nora followed, passing me and Ruby as we were readying ourselves for initiation.   
“Wonder what those two are so worked up about?” Ruby questioned.   
“Oh, who knows? So, you seem awfully chipper this morning!”  
“Yep! No more awkward small talk or "getting-to-know-you" stuff. Today, I get to let my sweetheart do the talking,” Ruby stroked Crescent Rose as she sighed happily.  
“Well, remember, Ruby, you're not the only one going through initiation. If you wanna grow up, you're gonna have to meet new people and learn to work together.”  
Ruby sighed in frustration, “You sound like Dad!” She shoved her weapon into the locker, “Okay, first of all: What does meeting new people have to do with fighting? And secondly: I don't need people to help me grow up! I drink milk!”  
“But what about when we form teams?”  
Suddenly nervous Ruby mumbled, “Um, I don't know, I... I'll just be on your team or something...”  
I bring my hair around my shoulder and stroke it. I was going to go find Blake, I needed to solve the mystery that was the black haired girl. I felt slightly guilty for not telling Ruby that I already knew who I wanted to be partners with. Ruby would find someone, “Maybe you should try being on someone else's team?”  
“My dear sister Yang, are you implying that you do not wish to be on the same team as me?”  
“What? No! Of course I do! I just thought... I don't know, maybe it would help you... break out of your shell!”  
“What the-?! I don't need to 'break out of my shell'! That's absolutely-“  
“Ridiculous!” Jaune said suddenly walking in between us, holding a map and looking lost, “There's no way I put my gear in locker 636 yesterday! I would've remembered having to count that high! Why does this have to happen today?”  
Glynda’s voice sounded over the intercom, “Would all first-year students please report to Beacon Cliff for initiation? Again, all first-year students report to Beacon Cliff immediately.”  
“Having some trouble there, lady-killer?” I clapped Jaune on the back having heard his Conversation with Weiss.  
“I don't understand. My dad said all women look for is confidence! Where did I go wrong?" He looked up from the ground at us.   
“’Snow Angel’ probably wasn't the best start,” I smirked and headed off for the cliff.   
Ruby pulled him up, “Come on, Jaune, let's go.”  
Ruby led Jaune out of the locker room, supporting him and his damaged self-esteem.   
We were lined up on silver launching pads and kids were being shot into the air one by one into the forest below, at my turn, I winked at my younger sister, put on a pair of aviators, and flew off with a "Woo-hoooooooo!"  
“Woo-hoo! Yeah! Alley-oop!” I whooped and hollered soaring right over the treetops, using my gauntlets and their fiery force to push through the air further and further north, spinning and laughing with each blast, even when I crashed through the leaves of a tree and leapt off two trunks to tumble to the ground.   
“Nailed it!” I giggled as I stood. “Helloooooooo? Is anyone out there? Helloooo?" I stopped and raised my arms in a fighting stance, “I'm getting bored here!” I hear a rustling in the bushes behind me and turn, “Is someone there?” The rustling continues as I come over and peak inside, “Ruby, is that you?”  
A low, inhuman growl is heard, and my head rose up as I stared at the creature.   
“Nope!” I quickly rolled to the side as an Ursa charged out of the green. I got up and activated Ember Celica, staring at the monster before another Ursa ran out behind me. I leapt over it and its companion ran at me again, only to get knocked back by a fiery punch. The other Ursa and I charged at each other, and I managed to get under it and deliver several punches and a kick to send the creature back.   
“You guys wouldn't happen to have seen a girl in a red hood, would you?” The Ursai merely growled at me, “You could just say "no."“  
One of the Ursai stood on its legs and swiped at me twice, I barely dodged the attacks.   
I laughed, “Geeeez, you two couldn't hit the broad side of a ba...”  
Before I can complete the insult, a single strand of my golden hair falls in front of my face and lands on the forest floor. My temper spiked, my blood boiling as I let out yell that is pure rage. No one who dared to touch my hair managed to escape without a scratch, it was my favorite thing about me.  
“You...” I close my eyes, then open them to reveal red, making the Ursai look at each other confusedly, “You monsters!!!”  
An inferno surrounded me for a moment and I rocketed forward, unleashing a devastating combo of flaming hits and blows on the offending Ursa, making it fly through several burning trees. The other monster ran over, but stopped short at my gaze while a tree fell to the ground behind me.   
“What! You want some, too?!” I growl out. The Ursa reared up and prepared to strike... right then a whirling noise was heard and the monster made a befuddled noise, falling down a second later to reveal Blake Belladonna with her weapon, Gambol Shroud, in the beast's back.   
I pant in exhaustion while Blake recalls the weapon back to her hand, sheathing it on her back and giving me a crooked smile. I nervously shuffled my foot on the ground, she found me first, maybe I didn’t do so bad last night. Now calm and violet-eyed again, I speak to my new partner over the smoking remains of the monster, “I could've taken him.”  
***  
“Sooo,” I scratched my head as she walked silently beside me.  
“Yes,” she turned to me.   
“Were you looking for me too,” I blushed when I realized my mistake by letting her know I was looking for her.   
“Uhhhh…” she shuffled her feet not meeting my eyes.  
“It’s okay if you were,” I reach out gently touching her arm. She met my eyes and immediately I knew that I probably should have asked to touch first and withdrew my hand.  
“Maybe I was,” she smiled sheepishly at me and we continued to walk through the forest in relative silence. Before long we stepped out into a clearing that revealed a circular stone temple, broken and decaying save for the platforms around its inside, holding several black and gold objects.  
“Think this is it?” I sarcastically let out. In response, Blake gave me a disbelieving look and headed down the hill, with me following closely. We walked across the floor and observed the items on each pedestal, now recognizably familiar shapes.   
Blake paused looking at a black king, confused, “Chess pieces?”  
“Some of them are missing. Looks like we weren't the first ones here,” I said from behind her.  
“Well, I guess we should pick one,” Blake says as I approach one of the relics.   
“Hmmmm...” I studied the golden knight, then picked it up to show it to Blake, proud of my choice, “How about a cute little pony?”  
“Sure,” She smirked at me and we walked towards each other, meeting at the center of the temple floor.  
“That wasn't too hard!”  
“Well, it's not like this place is very difficult to find,” she sassed. For a second we shared a smile and the whole world slowed down as I looked into those soft amber eyes. A scream pierced the air the moment we reached each other and I turned towards the direction of its source.   
***  
Blake slung the pistol portion of Gambol Shroud over to me, and we tightened it between the columns so Ruby could jump on the center with Crescent Rose and bend it back into Weiss' black sigil, right next to the summoner.   
“Of course you would come up with this idea,” Weiss sneered.   
Ruby turned to her, “Think you can make the shot?”  
Weiss confidently said, “Hmm! Can I!”  
A second passes.   
“Can't?”  
“Of course I can!”  
Ruby looked forward and pumped Crescent Rose as Weiss turned the circle from black to red and released Ruby at such a speed that the ground behind her launch cracked, rose petals flying with her ascent. With each new shot, she got closer and closer to the trapped Grimm until her scythe caught the Nevermore's neck in its blade and caused them both to fall to the cliff wall. Weiss raised her sword and created a series of white glyphs up the wall, which Ruby dashed through, firing the entire way up. Blake, myself, and an exhausted Weiss watched her climb up with the bird in her grasp until, both warrior and monster are crying out. Ruby reached the top of the cliff, circled up, fired one last shot, and tore the Nevermore's head from its shoulders in a shower of rose petals. She landed beside the severed head as the body of the giant Nevermore fell lifeless to the ruins below while we three girls and, farther away, Jaune, Pyrrha, Nora, and Ren watched in amazement.   
“Wow...”Jaune stared in awe. Ruby, her cape and petals flowing with the wind, looked down to us as we peered up.   
“Well... That was a thing!” I said to break the tension. I was so proud. My sister was a badass.  
***  
Ruby continued to smile as the faint sounds of an audience clapping were heard, growing louder and louder as a familiar voice was heard.   
“And finally: Blake Belladonna. Ruby Rose. Weiss Schnee. Yang Xiao Long,” he motioned over the four of us as we stood before him, “The four of you retrieved the white knight pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as Team RWBY. Led by... Ruby Rose!”  
Weiss looked to her right surprised, where Ruby was obviously in shock and I went over to hug my sister, “I'm so proud of you!”   
“It looks like things are shaping up to be an... interesting year,” Ozpin said over the cheering crowd.  
Oh, an interesting year indeed I thought to myself as we exited the stage.  
***  
After we were assigned teams we were given dorm assignments as we left the stage, we had all been so exhausted from the events of the day that we just crawled into a bed and fell asleep. I had awoken early the next morning, not used to the new environment. I had gone to the ballroom where they had stored our stuff until we were ready to deal with it. Even from the hallway I could hear Ruby belt out, "Good morning, team RWBY!"   
"What in the world is wrong with you," Weiss whined.  
"Now that you're awake, we can officially begin our first order of business," Ignoring the question Ruby consulted her list.   
"Excuse me," Weiss scoffed.  
I came in holding a collection of objects - pillows, posters, and a candle-holder - in my arms, also dressed in the school uniform. Blake came up from somewhere behind me and announced excitedly, "Decorating!"   
"What?!" Weiss shrieked.   
"We still have to unpack," Blake lifted up her luggage and the suitcase opened, spilling its contents, "Aaaand clean."   
Weiss did not look enthusiastic, especially when Ruby knocked her back with the blow of her whistle.   
"Aaaalright! Weiss, Blake, Yang, and their fearless leader Ruby have begun their first mission!" Ruby raises her fist into the air, "Banzai!"   
Ruby bellowed again with Blake and myself doing the same at her sides, "Banzai!" We got busy arranging our room. I placed a poster of six guys, "THE ACHIEVE MEN", on mine and Blake’s part of the room. Weiss positioned a painting of the Forever Fall forest, making sure it was perfection before walking away. Blake, busy putting away her books on the shelves, picked up a copy of Ninjas of Love and her eyes widened as she warily looked around before putting it back. I watched her intently, examining the red blush that took up residence on her face. I would most definitely get my hands on that book. Our task ended with us admiring our handiwork... with one problem. The beds were cramped together in the center of the floor.   
"This isn't going to work," Weiss whined.  
"It is a bit cramped," Blake noted.  
I picked up some of the stuff I hadn’t found a place for yet, "Maybe we should ditch some of our stuff..."   
"Or we could ditch the beds... and replace them with bunk beds!" Ruby suggested.  
"Umm, that sounds incredibly dangerous." Weiss looked warily at us.  
"And super-awesome!" I could barely contain the girlish excitement in my voice. I had always wanted bunk beds as a kid, it was less appealing when I started dating. I doubt Ruby would have appreciated my midnight guests. But now, with sharing a room with a team anyway, it seemed like a perfect idea.  
Blake smirked, "It does seem efficient."   
Weiss, still tried to get her way, "Well, we should put it to a vote!"   
Ruby smiled smugly at the heiress, "I think we just did."   
Blake gave two thumbs up to the idea, I made a double finger guns and winked, and Weiss angrily curled her fists at her sides. Decided, we rushed at the beds. Ruby and Weiss were arguing back and forth while Blake and I examined our beds.  
“Well, what do you think,” She asked.  
“Umm,” I cocked my head sideways, “maybe, we could find a way to stack them.”  
“What if we used some of my books that I don’t read that often?”  
“Are you sure? You read an awful lot.”  
“It’s worth it. Besides, it’ll be sturdier than what they’re working out,” she looked toward Ruby and Weiss and the rope that they were securing to the ceiling and with that we set to work.  
Before long we all gathered back at the front of the room. Weiss' bed was simply on the ground next to her art and luggage, Blake’s bed was next to her books, which we also used to raise my bed over it by placing the novels on the posts, and Ruby's was hanging from ropes on the ceiling with a blanket worked as a makeshift tent over it.  
"Objective: Complete!" Exclaimed Ruby, "Allllright! Our second order of business iiiissss...! Classes..." She pulled out a pencil, "Now, we have a few classes together today. At 9, we've got to be-"   
Weiss practically turned red, "What?! Did you say 9 o'clock?"   
"Uuuum..."   
"It's 8:55, you dunce!" Weiss was the first to rush out of the room and down the hall, as we and team JNPR peeked out from our doorways to look at her go.  
Ruby let out a flabbergasted, "To class!"   
Ruby ran out of the room, followed by Blake, and then me.  
***  
A picture of an axe-blunderbuss weapon was above chalk boards displaying drawings of various species of Grimm - King Taijitu, Death Stalker, Beowolf, Boarbatusk, Nevermore, and Ursa - behind an elderly teacher named Peter Port. Classes had droned on all day, I had made it a point to sit by Blake in every class we had together. Though it was probably a bad idea, she was rather distracting, her figure was to die for and I caught myself staring at her more than I was paying attention to any of my professors. It was a good thing that most of the stuff we had covered today was stuff I’d learned at signal my sophomore year. The members of team RWBY, were seated on the middle row in varying stages of interest; Blake and I were sitting up and pretending to pay attention, Weiss was actually taking notes, and Ruby had her head propped in her hand as she took a quick nap. She was woken up by Port's bad joke, which received a cricket-filled silence.   
"Monsters! Deeeemons... Prowlers of the night! Yes, the creatures of Grimm have many names, but I merely refer to them as prey! Ha-ha! ………..Uhhhh... And you shall too, upon graduating from this prestigious academy! Now, as I was saying: Vale, as well as the other three kingdoms, are safe havens in an otherwise treacherous world! Our planet is absolutely teeming with creatures that would love nothing more than to tear you to pieces! And that's where we come in. Huntsmen! Huntresses..." The old man gave me a wink, which I groaned uncomfortably at. I was revolted by the insinuating gleam in his eyes but he went on, "Individuals who have sworn to protect those who cannot protect themselves! From what, you ask? Why, the very world! That is what you are training to become. But first: A story. A tale of a young, handsome man... Me! When I was a boy..."   
His words faded into a series of "blahs" when Weiss noticed Ruby was very focused on the paper in front of her. Ruby snickered at her creation and showed it to us: A general ball-with-limbs-and-a-head drawing of the teacher with stink lines coming from him and "Professor Poop" written underneath. Blake and I started laughing, but Weiss looked annoyed.   
"Ah-heh-hem!" Port waited until he had our attention again, "In the end, the Beowolf was no match for my sheer tenacity, and I returned to my village with the beast in captivity and my head held high, celebrated as a hero!"   
The teacher took a bow as Weiss was slowly getting more and more frustrated with Ruby's antics.   
I turned back to watching Blake as she read a book that was most likely not for the class. I was so involved in studying her I had no idea what Professor Port was referring to when he said, "So, who among you believes themselves to be the embodiment of these traits?"   
Weiss who was still angry, raised her hand, "I do, sir!"   
"Well, then, let's find out!" He turned to gesture at the glowing red eyes surrounded by shadow shaking the cage that trapped it, "Step forward, and face your opponent!"   
The unknown monster continued to growl. Readying her Myrtenaster at the growling creature in the cage Weiss prepared for a fight. We’re cheered her on from our seats.   
I raised my fist and let out, "Goooo, Weiss!"   
Blake started waving a small flag with "RWBY" and "Fight well!" printed on it. Where did that come from?  
Ruby was the most excited of all us, "Yeah, represent teeeeam RWBY!"   
"Ruby! I'm trying to focus!"   
Ruby backed down looking sheepish, "Oh, um... Sorry..."   
“Allllright!" Next to the cage, Port pulled out his axe, "Let the match... begin!"   
Weiss fought well even if she was arguing with Ruby the whole time, finally she drove home her sword in the Boarbatusk’s stomach.   
"Bravo! Bra-vo! It appears we are indeed in the presence of a true Huntress-in-training!" As Weiss stood up at attention from her exhausted position and Ruby continued to frown, "I'm afraid that's all the time we have for today. Be sure to cover the assigned readings, and...stay vigilant! Class dismissed!"   
Weiss glared, turned away, and walked hurriedly past us to the exit. We all watched her storm off.  
Jaune Arc came up beside us and asked under his breath, "Sheesh, what's with her?"   
We all turned to look at each other with the same question rolling around in our heads. Ruby snapped out of it and ran after the pale girl. Deciding to leave them to their own devices Blake took off toward the dorm room.  
“Hey, hey, hey,” I called as I scurried up beside her, “Where ya goin’ Blakey?”  
“The room,” she said flatly, ignoring the nickname.  
“Mind if I tag along?”  
“Sure, why not.”  
“Haha, cool.”  
I followed her to the room and then sat down at our shared desk while she flopped down on her bed and picked up a book. The silence lasted all of fifteen minutes before I started to tap a pencil against the wood of the table. Ignoring the noise she huffed and went back to her book. Three more minutes and I was sighing along with the tapping.   
“Do you have something you would like to say,” She flopped the book down into her lap and groaned.  
“No,” I said chewing on my lip.  
“Uhhh, Okay,” she went back to reading for a bit, “are you sure? You’ve been staring at me all day.”  
“You noticed that huh?” I looked down ashamed.  
“It’s okay. I’m used to it. I should have guessed you’d figure it out.”  
“Figure what out?” I looked up confused.  
“Oh, so you haven’t figured it out then,” she put the book she was reading off to the side and sat up, “if I show you something, do you promise not to freak out and hate me?”  
“I promise…”  
“Come here,” she patted the bed next to her and I went over and sat beside her. She reached up and untied the bow that was on top of her head, revealing two velvety black cat ears.  
“You’re a faunas,” I gasped out, my hands itched to reach out and stroke the black fur.  
“I am,” she looked out the window avoiding my eyes, “do you know about the White Fang?”  
“Who doesn’t? They’ve caused a lot of trouble lately.”  
“I was once a member of the White Fang,” she continued still not meeting my gaze, “You could almost say I was born into it... Back then, things were different, the White Fang was meant to be a symbol of peace and unity between Humans and the Faunus. However, humanity still thought of us as lesser beings. And so, the White Fang rose up as the voice of our people. And I was there. Five years ago, our leader stepped down, and a new one took his place. A new leader, with a new way of thinking. Suddenly, our peaceful protests were being replaced with organized attacks. We were setting fire to shops that refused to serve us, hijacking cargo from companies that used Faunus labor. And the worst part was, it was working. We were being treated like equals. But not out of respect... out of fear. So, I left. I decided I no longer wanted to use my skills to aid in their violence, and instead, I would dedicate my life to becoming a Huntress. So here I am: a criminal hiding in plain view, all with the help of a little black bow. I feel compelled to share my secrets with you. And I thought you should know what being partners with me is getting you into."  
“That’s definitely not why I was staring,” I smiled, “but I don’t care that you are a faunas.”  
“You, don’t care?” She seemed stunned.  
“No,” I said watching her ears twitch, my fingers begging to touch them, “why would I care?”  
“Most people are put off by faunas.”  
“I’m quite the opposite actually, I find it kind of cute. Do you mind if I touch them?”  
She simply shook her head no but looked down as I reached out to stroke them. A soft purr rumbled from her chest and she blushed not looking up at me.  
“Blake,” I used my finger to lift up her chin to make her look up at me. I suddenly became extremely aware of the fact that this was the first time she had allowed herself to be touched, “it’s okay.”  
“I hope so,” she looked deep into my eyes and I felt whole for once in my life, like I’d found the yin to my yang if you will.  
“If it isn’t, you have me to beat up anyone or anything that upsets you, kitten.”  
“Good,” she giggled and seemed a little uncomfortable, but in a good way, at the nickname.  
***  
"So! There we were, in the middle of the night..." Nora rambled on.   
Blake was paying no attention as she lost herself in her book. I was hanging on her every word with my hands cupping my face. "We were surrounded by Ursai..."   
Ren interjected, "They were Beowolves."   
"Dozens of them!"   
Ren deadpanned once again, "Two of 'em."   
Nora finished up her story, "But they were no match... And in the end, Ren and I took them down and made a boatload of Lien selling Ursa skin rugs!"   
"She's been having this recurring dream for nearly a month now," Ren sighed. I was kind of envious of their bond, they had known each other for their whole lives and it took a blind man to not see that they cared deeply for each other. It would only make sense that they would have chosen to bond with each other.  
Pyrrha looked at her leader, "Jaune? Are you okay?"   
"Huh? Oh, yeah! Why?"   
"It's just that you seem a little... not okay..." Ruby turned toward him with concern on her face.  
"Guys, I'm fine. Seriously! Look!" He laughed nervously and gave us a thumbs up until his attention focused on the members of Team CRDL, standing around a girl with brown rabbit ears jutting from her hair as Cardin laughed at her and Sky Lark holds up his hands to his head in a mock interpretation of her unusual features. I could hear the others talking to Jaune about what a bully Cardin had been to him the whole time they had been here, but I was focused on the tears that were threatening to fall from the rabbit faunas’ eyes. I felt anger at team CRDL for their insensitivity and prejudice toward the other species. I balled my fists in my lap as the laughing grew louder, mixed in with cries of pain from the rabbit girl when one of her ears was tugged on by Cardin.   
"Ow! That hurts!" she stopped struggling and grimaced as she pleaded, "Please, stop..."   
"I told you it was real!" Cardin sneered.   
"What a freak!" One of his teammates said.  
Cardin finally relented, and the girl stood up and hurried off, her head bowed, hiding her face from the watching heroes.   
"Atrocious. I can't stand people like him," Pyrrha growled.   
Blake stared daggers as she spoke through her teeth, "You’re not the only one..."   
"It must be hard to be a Faunus," I said sadly, my anger turning to anguish, and reached over under the table and grabbed her hand to comfort her. She held tightly onto my hand for the rest of the meal but said nothing more until she had to let go of it to throw her trash away.  
We walked silently back to the dorm after dinner as a team. I wanted to talk to Blake, to make sure she was okay, but that would have to wait until another time.


	2. Chapter 2

It was Friday afternoon and my body was aching from the workout I had just been through in Combat Class, I had been paired off against Pyrrha Nikos, boy did she know how to fight. She seemed to have some anger to work off today as well. I sat on the bed and peeled off my boots, sighing in relief as the pain eased up a little. The rest of my team were still in classes for the day so I had some time to myself before the chaos that is my sister and Weiss storm into to room, or so I thought. The door slammed open and then slammed shut. I looked up expecting to see my sister and her partner arguing again, instead I was met with the sight of a very angry Blake Belladonna slamming her books down onto the desk and her weapon slung onto the bottom bunk. She was fuming, angrier than I’ve ever seen her, not to mention she was supposed to still be in class.  
“Uh, Blake,” I hesitantly said from my perch on my bed.  
“Oh,” she sighed, “I forgot you get back earlier than the rest of us, sorry.”  
“It’s okay. Are you alright? Do you want to talk about it?”  
“It’s that arrogant little twerp Cardin. He basically referred to Faunas as pets and animals that could be trained. If it hadn’t have been for Pyrrha, I probably would have gotten into a fight today.”  
“Oh, so that was why she was so worked up in Combat Class. Not that I mind but, why are you back so early from Goodwitch’s class?”  
“She had an issue that Ozpin needed her to deal with. She let us have an early dismissal instead of calling in Port to teach for her. I’m still really worked up about Cardin though, people like him make my blood boil.”  
“Understandable, he makes me pretty angry too,” I watched her start to calm down as she put her stuff away.  
A long period of silence went by before Blake spoke again, “Yang, can I make a… strange request?”  
“Sure, although I think our versions of strange are vastly different, what is it?”  
“You know how the other day you… wanted to touch my ears?”  
“Yeah…” I trailed off not knowing where she was going with this.  
“How long do we have before Ruby and Weiss get back from class?” She back peddled leaving me as lost as ever.  
“About 45 minutes. Why?” The confusion was thick in my voice.  
“Well…” she shuffled about nervously as she reached up taking her bow off and twitching her ears, “Having my ears rubbed… kind of calms me down. I was um… wondering if you would… maybe do that again? Before the others come back and I have to put this back on.”  
Anticipation and warmth filled my heart to the brim as I met her eyes. The empty place inside of me rippled like a phantom feeling was filling it temporarily, I felt whole for that split second. My voice cracked as I answered her, “Ye-ah, sure. But you’re coming up here, Pyrrha really did a number on my muscles.”  
Blake crawled up into my bed holding a book in one hand and her ribbon in the other, looking at me with apologetic eyes. I just slid down to rest against my pillow and patted the empty space beside me. Blake curled against my side, cuddling like we’d been friends for years, I played on my scroll while she read and my left hand absentmindedly scratching at the backs of her faunas ears. Suddenly I noticed that it was unusually quiet, it took me a second but I knew she was asleep because her purring had stopped and the book she had been reading was now on my stomach. I glanced at the clock, we had about ten minutes until the dynamic duo returned from Oobleck’s class. Gently I took the ribbon and tied a bow quickly over her cat ears.  
“I really don’t understand why you have to act like such an imbecile!” Weiss’ nasally voice could be heard even from outside the door.  
“Blah, blah, blah. My name is Weiss. I always pay attention in class. Blah, blah, blah.” Ruby mocked as she slammed open the door. Blake bolted awake at the sound, sitting up and looking panicked as she reached for her ears.  
“Don’t worry. I tied it before they got here,” I whispered and watched her shoulders relax. She climbed down and headed to the mirror fixing her bow as Ruby and Weiss continued bickering in the background.  
After Blake returned to her own bed a text popped up on my scroll.  
B: You’re really terrible at tying bows :) thanks for trying though.  
Y: Anything for you Kitten. And maybe if you wanted a perfect bow you should have taught me how to tie it. The most I can do with my hair is pigtails if I can get a brush through it, which is almost never.  
B: Maybe you should let me take a crack at it ;)  
Y: Are you kidding me? No one has touched my hair, besides me, since they tried to give me a haircut at the age of 4 and I almost burnt down the barber shop.  
B: I’m not afraid of you, Firecracker.  
Y: Firecracker, huh?  
B: What you can call me Kitten but I can’t call you Firecracker?  
“What on Remnant are you to staring at your scrolls for?” Weiss’ voice brought us back to reality and I couldn’t hide the smile that danced across my face.  
“It’s nothing,” Blake replied.  
“Well, it is Friday night and team JNPR is going to Vale to see the newest action flick and has invited us to join them,” Ruby exclaimed excitedly.  
“I’m not really feeling up to going out tonight Rubes,” I said rubbing at my sore leg muscles.  
“Me either. Sorry Ruby,” Blake said as she reached up to steal her book back from my bed.  
“Okay. Well, you’re going to be missing out. Don’t wait up. Weiss and I are going to go be fun people, not losers who sit around in their dorms on Friday nights,” and with that the door swung shut behind the pair.  
Blake stayed quiet, reading as I went about my nightly routine of showering and such. I had just finished putting on my pajamas and drying my hair when team DREM (pronounced dream) popped into our room dressed to hit the clubs.  
“Hey Xiao Long! You don’t look ready for a one night stand!” Raylan quipped as she sat on the edge of Weiss’ bed.  
“I’m not having a one night stand, because I’m not going out. Even so, I could pick up someone looking just like this thank you very much Ray.”  
“You got that right blondie,” David eyed me up and down.  
“Oh, shut up captain eyeliner,” Mel jumped in, “she hasn’t hooked up with anyone since, oh… what was her name? Jessica! Yeah, since Jessica. That was the weekend before school… that’s been three weeks ago. You also haven’t been out in the three weeks we’ve been here.”  
“Damn, are you sick?” Emily pressed a hand to my forehead and I rolled my eyes shoving her off of me.  
“I’m just fine, thanks. I just don’t feel like going out much anymore.”  
“I heard that she’s got a crush on some bookworm, spends her weekends in the library now,” Raylan sneered.  
“You only know that because I told you,” I scoffed at her, “You guys are so lucky my sister isn’t here right now. She doesn’t know about my whole liking girls thing or the me having sex thing and I’d like to keep it that way!”  
“Oh, please! She caught me sneaking out of your room several times when we were together. There’s no way she doesn’t know!” Mel laughed at me.  
“Well, she’s still innocent in my head so I’m going to keep it that way.”  
“So, tell us about this bookworm,” David seemed a little disappointed, “You never have crushes. This person must be really special.”  
“She’s great, that’s all you need to know,” I tried shoving them out of the room but they were stubborn as a group.  
“She’s more than great from what you’ve texted me. ‘She’s so mysterious, I feel like I’m flying when I’m with her, but she also grounds me ya know? She’s so beautiful, I never thought I’d like the color-‘“  
My eyes went wide as Raylan leaned against the door frame quoting some of my texts about Blake… in front of Blake.  
“Okay, well thanks for stopping by. Have fun. K, buh bye now,” I quickly shut the door and locked it on them. I heard them laughing loudly as they walked away.  
“So, girls, huh?” Blake smirked at me from her bed.


	3. Interrupted

“You already knew I like both, don’t act surprised.”  
“True, I did. It’s still entertaining to hear it out loud for once, I’ve never seen you blush so hard before. I didn’t know you had a crush. Is that why you go to the library with me all the time? Is there some girl there that, YOU, Yang Xiao Long, are afraid to talk to?”  
“Yes and no. I’m not afraid to talk to her, I’m just afraid to tell her how I feel. I’m usually a one and done type of girl, ya know? I don’t have crushes, when I do… I always get my heart broken,” I picked up my hair brush and frustratedly tried to drag it through the mess of blonde curls on my head, hoping that this line of questions ended soon.  
“Well, she’d be a fool to turn you down. Now, come here and let me take care of that,” she gestured to the space in front of her on the bed.   
“Blake… I’m serious. No one touches my hair, not even Ruby.”  
“What, don’t you trust me? I could put it in a braid and it would be much easier to sleep with it up. You’re also forgetting that I have curly hair, granted not like yours but still, I know how to deal with curls.”  
I stared cautiously at the raven haired beauty watching me with pleading golden eyes, “Ugh, fine. But if you pull a single strand of hair out of my head…”  
“Oh wow, I’m sooo scared dragon girl. Seriously, just come sit down and let me brush your hair.”  
“Dragon girl,” I slowly handed Blake the brush and sat down on her bed, “that’s a new one.”  
“Well that’s what your name means if you loosely translate… it’s also what I think when you activate your semblance. It’s kind of like a word association I do in my head. Like Ruby is purity, Weiss is defiance, you’re strength. But even more than that, you’re light. I find it funny how I’m like the shadows or even the ashes after a fire and I ended up with someone who seems so much like the opposite of me,” the whole time she was speaking she had gently been brushing my hair, I hardly noticed she had started. Strength, I never thought Blake thought about me at all, let alone enough to come up with word associations for me. Maybe if she thought that much about me, then she might be interested in me too. After all, she did say that   
“I think this is the most I’ve heard you talk at one time,” I diverted to teasing to escape the awkwardness of my own brain.  
“Oh,” she paused brushing my hair her voice going quiet, “do I need to shut up?”  
“Oh, no. Blake sweetie, that’s not what I meant at all, it’s a good thing. I like talking with you.”  
“Oh, well. I’m sorry. My old partner, when I was in the White Fang, he was kind of strict about things.”  
“Blake, that’s not okay. Also, I would never try to stifle you. You’re an amazing girl, no one should ever make you feel like you’re less than what you are.”  
“And what am I?”  
“The girl I’m too afraid to tell how I feel…” silence followed and Blake’s hand froze on my hair as panic rose in my chest.  
The door to our room swung open at that moment and Ruby’s voice shrieked, “BLAKE! NO! Put down the brush now. Save yourself! OH GOD THE WHOLE DORM IS GOING TO BURN DOWN!!”  
“Ruby,” I chuckled out of shock more than anything, “it’s fine. She’s been brushing it for about an hour now.”  
“An hour?!?” Ruby and Weiss’ jaws dropped as they stared at Blake.  
“Surprise?” she handed me the brush to hold and started to work on a braid, giving them a sheepish smile. The other two girls shut the door and began to settle in for the night, all the while casting sideways glances at Blake and giving the bunk we were sitting on a wide girth.   
“I don’t get what the big deal is,” Blake finally spoke as she finished off the braid, “I’ve been working on her hair for over an hour now and I’m fine. She didn’t turn into Satan. I don’t know why you’re staring at me like I tamed a nevermore.”  
“Blake, the last time anyone tried to do anything with her hair she ignited the place as soon as they got the brush stuck,” Ruby gaped at her.  
“I’m good with curls. See, no stuck brushes and no pulled out strands,” Blake placed my hair in a neatly done braid over my shoulder.  
“Okay, well,” Weiss brought over a fire extinguisher and placed it on Blake’s bookshelf, “I’m just going to put this here unless there is a delayed reaction. I’m going to go to bed now.”  
***  
Five days, it had been five days since I told Blake that I might have feelings for her and we haven’t spoken a word about it. We were now walking through the forest on a field trip for professor peach. Forever Fall was bustling with red leaves and gray trunks as Glynda led our teams; RWBY, JNPR, and CRDL through the area, "Yes, students, the forest of Forever Fall is indeed beautiful. But we are not here to sight-see. Professor Peach has asked all of you to collect samples from the trees deep inside this forest, and I'm here to make sure none of you die while doing so. Each of you is to gather one jar's worth of red sap. However, this forest is full of the creatures of Grimm, so be sure to stay by your teammates. We will rendezvous back here at 4 o'clock. Have fun!"   
My sister and I smiled at one another before splitting into pairs, Ruby with Weiss and Blake with me.  
“So… Ummm,” I scratched the back of my head searching for words to say.  
“I like you too Yang,” Blake blurted out before I could stumble over anymore words.  
“You do?! I mean, that’s cool. I’m glad it’s not one sided… I’ve been dying to tell you for so long. You’re different than other girls Blake, you’re special.”  
“You’re special too Yang. I never thought that I’d tell my secret to someone ever again. My last partner was a real piece of work, not to mention all the faunas’ rights stuff I went through. You pulled me out of the shadows of my own life Yang, you’re like my own personal ray of sunshine.”  
“You’re not the only one who’s been pulled out of the shadows. You’ve saved me from myself.”  
“Wow, the infamous party girl has a deep dark side? I’m impressed Firecracker. Seriously though, we’ll have a deep talk when we get back. Until then, will you do me the honor of being my girlfriend?”  
“Absolutely! That’s all I want in this moment!” I pulled Blake into a tight hug right before we heard the roar of the giant Ursa echoed through the trees interrupting our moment. Ruby stood up looking concerned, "Did you guys hear that?"   
Suddenly, members of Team CRDL were running towards us. Russel was too busy looking back to dodge out of the way before running directly into me, "Ursa! Ursa!"  
"What?!" Completely unfazed by his collision, I picked him up by the front of his shirt, "Where?"   
"Back there! It's got Cardin!" Russel started struggling, still running in air, but pointed back from where they came.   
Pyrrha dropped her jar of sap and looked panic stricken for her teammate, "Jaune!"   
"Yang! You and Blake, go get Professor Goodwitch!" Ruby snapped into leader mode and I dropped Russel, nodding toward Blake before following the orders.  
“She’s like a brick wall,” I heard Russel mutter as he walked away rubbing his shoulder.  
Pyrrha stepped into the role of Leader for her team. Yelling to Ren and Nora as she and Ruby activated their weapons, "You two, go with them! There could be more!"


	4. Maybe We Were Just Tired Of Being Pushed Around

That night at dinner all anyone could talk about was Jaune saving Cardin’s life and being the hero of the day. I was too busy staring at my new girlfriend to pay attention to anything that was going on around me.   
“How about we go have that talk now,” Blake leaned over and whispered into my ear. I looked around at all of our comrades crowded around Jaune and slowly slipped away from the table as Blake took me by the hand and led me to the fountain in the courtyard.   
“Yang, my partner, Adam, from when I was in the White Fang… do you remember when I said he was strict?”  
“Yes,” I spoke quietly as we sat on the edge of the fountain neither one of us looking at each other, instead we looked up at the stars dancing in the night sky under the shattered moon.  
“Well, strict was just the tip of the iceberg. He was abusive, he charmed me at first but I was naïve and young. He was older, mysterious, and seductive. Only after he had me woven into his web did his horns come out to play. He used everything he knew about me to manipulate me into doing what he wanted. He punished me for speaking too much or out of turn. He would scold me for anything he considered wrong behavior. I became like a possession to him, a pet to do his bidding. He stifled who I am and berated me for standing up against his changing views on what needed to be done to support faunas’ rights. I severed our bond and left him on a moving train heading toward Atlas. That was the most painful experience I’ve ever had to endure, and I endured it alone. I swore when I came to Beacon that I would keep my nose to the grindstone and my head down, that no one would ever know the real me or what I have been through again. No one would get under my skin and learn to hurt me the way that he did. So, just don’t hurt me Yang Xiao Long, okay?”  
“I promise you Blake, I will do my best to never hurt you on purpose. You have this way of filling the void in my soul. Every time I’m around you I feel like I’m complete. You give me purpose, even more so than Ruby does. I can’t help that I’ve felt drawn to you since the moment I laid eyes on you, I think we were meant to fall into each other Blake. I’ve always felt empty, until that first night where you told me that you were a faunas. It was like a phantom started sewing together the rip in my soul. All of my other girlfriends have all left me for the same reason, they felt like I was just going through the motions. I couldn’t give them enough love, even though I loved them the best way I know how. I don’t know why I just kept them at a distance. I guess it’s because everyone I let get close to me, aside from Ruby, has left me from the moment I was born. All I can say is; I hope I don’t disappoint you Blake Belladonna,” we sat under the stars in silence after that, content in each other’s presence.  
“There you two are,” Weiss’ voice cut through the peaceful night, “You both need to come back to the dorm. We’ve got an early morning tomorrow. The contestants for the Vytal Festival arrive tomorrow.”   
We followed Weiss back to the dorms not saying a word as we got ready for bed and soon fell asleep.  
***  
The streets of Vale were being decorated in bright colors for the Vytal Festival. Red, yellow, and green streamers and balloons were proudly on display, and we were strolling through it all with an awed Weiss Schnee in the front. A sign being put up by the elderly Shopkeep that read in bright red letters "WELCOME TO VALE!" for all the foreign newcomers from their respective kingdoms of Remnant.

Weiss stopped and raised her arms in amazement, "The Vytal Festival! Oh, this is absolutely wonderful!"  
"I don't think I've ever seen you smile this much, Weiss." Ruby frowned a little as she thought about it, "It's kinda weirding me out..."  
"How could you not smile? A festival dedicated to the cultures of the world! There will be dances! Parades! A tournament! Oh, the amount of planning and organization that goes into this event is simply breathtaking!"  
"You really know how to take a good thing and make it sound boring," I sighed and folded my arms over my chest already done with the day and it had barely started.  
"Quiet, you!" Weiss quipped at me exasperatedly.  
I stopped near the docks and the sounds of foghorns were heard, "Remind me again why we're spending our Friday afternoon visiting the stupid docks?"  
"Ugh, they smell like fish!" Ruby covered her nose and fanned the air.  
"I've heard that students visiting from Vacuo will be arriving by ship today. And, as a representative of Beacon, I feel as though it is my solemn duty to welcome them to this fine kingdom!” Weiss said with an air of importance.   
"She wants to spy on them so she'll have the upper hand in the tournament," Blake spoke up as Weiss started walking again.  
"You can't prove that!" Weiss huffed.  
Ruby gasped as she looked to the right, "Whoa." we looked at a shattered window down the street and a door full of yellow caution tape of the Vale Police Force before walking over to the detective in front, who is writing on his pad, "What happened here?"  
"Robbery. Second Dust shop to be hit this week. This place is turning into a jungle," we listened as the detective walked over to his partner.  
"That's terrible," I sighed sadly.   
The detective spoke to his partner again as they surveyed the damage, "They left all the money again."  
"Huh?" Ruby turned her head confused as we continued to eavesdrop on the investigation.  
"Yeah, just doesn't make a lick of sense. Who needs that much Dust?"  
"I don't know, an army?"  
"You thinking the White Fang?"  
"Yeah, I'm thinking we don't get paid enough."  
"Hmph! The White Fang," Weiss crossed her arms and pointed her nose in the air, "What an awful bunch of degenerates!"  
"What's your problem?" Blake all but growled out. I could tell that this wasn’t going to end prettily. I wanted to speak up, but this wasn’t my place and it wasn’t my fight.  
Weiss turned to her, "My problem? I simply don't care for the criminally insane."  
"The White Fang is hardly a bunch of psychopaths." Blake crossed her arms, getting serious, "They're a collection of misguided Faunus."  
"Misguided? They want to wipe Humanity off the face of the planet!"  
"So then they're very misguided. Either way, it doesn't explain why they would rob a Dust shop in the middle of downtown Vale!"  
"Hmm... Blake's got a point. Besides, the police never caught that Torchwick guy I ran into a few months ago... Maybe it was him," Ruby tried to interject.  
"That still doesn't change the fact that the White Fang are a bunch of scum." Weiss spouted off to Blake's growing anger, "Those Faunus only know how to lie, cheat, and steal."  
"That's not necessarily true..." My heart broke as I spoke up and I saw the look on Blake’s face.  
"Hey, stop that Faunus!" We overheard the cry for help and rushed over to investigate, a Faunus with a golden monkey tail began running down the length of the boat and leaped on to the edge as the two sailors were about to apprehend him. The tension temporarily broken.   
"Thanks for the ride, guys! Haha!" he jumped off and hit the dock running.  
"You no-good stowaway!" a sailor yelled after him. The monkey faunas used his tail to hang on a lamppost while he peeled back a banana, "Hey! A no-good stowaway would've been caught! I'm a great stowaway!" he took a bite out of his banana.   
"Hey! Get down from there this instant!" One of the detectives down below threw a stone at him to get his attention. He dropped the banana peel on the detective's face, who growled in return. The monkey-like Faunus twirled up to crouch on the lamppost, laughing in amusement, and proceeded to leap off and run away from the detectives. As he ran past us, he winked at an astonished Blake in slow motion before time sped up again and he continued to be chased by the officers.  
Rage and Jealousy boiled under my skin as I watched the Faunus get farther and farther away, "Well, Weiss, you wanted to see the competition, and there it goes..."  
"Quick! We have to observe him!" Weiss pointed after him and we gave chase. Blake stood still, lost in thought, then came back to reality and followed us. We rounded the next corner, but then Weiss bumped into someone and tripped. She looked up only to see the faunas jump on to a building and disappear from her view, "No, he got away!"  
"Uhh... Weiss?" I pointed uncomfortably at the girl underneath my teammate.  
Weiss finally saw that she fell on a smiling girl, which startled the heiress and she hastily got up.  
The girl was still down on the ground, smiling widely, "Sal-u-ta-tions!"  
"Um... hello." Ruby greeted.  
"Are you... okay?" I asked concerned.  
"I'm wonderful! Thank you for asking," she replied, still not getting up from the ground.  
We look at each other in bewilderment before I speak up again, "Do you... wanna get up?"  
She thought about this for a moment before saying, "Yes!" She leapt back on her feet while the team stepped back a little, "My name is Penny! It's a pleasure to meet you!"  
"Hi Penny. I'm Ruby."  
"I'm Weiss."  
"Blake."  
"Are you sure you didn't hit your head?" I say earning me an elbow in the ribs from Blake, "Oh, I'm Yang."  
"It's a pleasure to meet you!" Penny grinned widely at us.  
"You already said that," Weiss seemed suspicious.  
"So I did!" Penny said after a pause.  
"Well, sorry for running into you!" Weiss said as we turned around to leave.  
Ruby waved her arm in parting, "Take care, friend!"  
When we got far enough away from Penny I finally spoke, "She was... weird..."  
"Now, where did that Faunus riff-raff run off to?" Weiss said looking around us.  
Penny suddenly appeared in front of a surprised Weiss, "What did you call me?"  
Weiss looked back and forth in shock and I tried to look apologetic. I had hoped she didn’t hear me, "Oh, I'm really sorry, I definitely didn't think you heard me!"  
"No, not you." Penny walked through the group and cocked her head sideways looking at Ruby, "You!"  
"Me? I-I don't know. I, what I, um, uh..."  
"You called me 'friend'! Am I really your friend?"  
"Uuuum..." Ruby looked over Penny's shoulder while we all motion for her to say no, "Y-Yeah, sure! Why not?"  
"Sen-sational! We can paint our nails, and try on clothes, and talk about cute boys!"  
Ruby groaned to Weiss as she brushed herself off, "Oh, is this what it was like when you met me?"  
"No - she seems far more coordinated," Weiss tried to keep the grin out of her voice.  
"So... what are you doing in Vale?" I tried to make conversation with our new tagalong.  
"I'm here to fight in the tournament."  
"Wait, you're fighting in the tournament?" Weiss spat out.  
"I'm combat ready!" Penny saluted us.”  
"Forgive me, but you hardly look the part." Weiss didn’t seem convinced.   
"Says the girl wearing a dress," Blake smirked.  
"It's a combat skirt!” Weiss defended.  
"Yeah!" Ruby backed her up and Weiss held out her hand and Ruby low-fived it.  
"Wait a minute." A thought seemed to dawn on Weiss. She walked over to Penny and grabbed her by the shoulders, "If you're here for the tournament, does that mean you know that monkey-tailed... rapscallion?"  
"The who...?" Penny looked confused.  
"The filthy Faunus from the boat!" Weiss held up a poor drawing of the criminal-in-question, seriously where do these things come from?  
"Why do you keep saying that?!" Storm clouds gathered in Blake’s eyes.  
Weiss turned her attention from Penny to Blake, "Huh?"  
"Stop calling him a rapscallion! Stop calling him a degenerate! He's a person!"  
"Oh, I'm sorry." Weiss released Penny and motions to objects around her, "Would you like me to stop referring to the trash can as a trash can? Or this lamppost as a lamppost?"  
"Stop it!" Blake screamed in outrage, I could feel my anger starting to rise as well.  
"Stop what? He clearly broke the law. Give him time; he'll probably join up with those other Faunus in the White Fang!"  
Blake growled and clenched her fist, "You ignorant little brat!"  
Weiss looked offended, but when Blake walked away, she followed, "How dare you talk to me like that! I am your teammate!"  
"You are a judgmental little girl," Blake seethed.  
"What in the world makes you say that?"  
"The mere fact that you would sort that Faunus boy with a terrorist group solely based on his species makes you just as much of a scoundrel as you believe him to be!"  
"Um, I think we should probably go..." I say to Ruby as I uncomfortably watch the two argue.  
"Where are we going?" Penny popped up behind Ruby, smiling.  
"So you admit it! The White Fang is just a radical group of terrorists!"  
"That's not what I meant, and you know it!"  
As Ruby and I continue to observe, the argument continued from afternoon near the docks to nighttime in our dorm room.  
"I don't understand why this is causing such a problem!"  
"That is the problem!" Blake let emotions flood her voice.  
"You realize you are defending an organization that hates Humanity, don't you? The Faunus of the White Fang are pure evil!"  
"There's no such thing as pure evil! Why do you think they hate Humanity so much? It's because of people like Cardin, people like you, that force the White Fang to take such drastic measures!"  
"People like me?"  
"You're discriminatory!"  
"I'm a victim!" They stared each other down in silence, Weiss leaned in close, leering as she spoke quietly, "You want to know why I despise the White Fang? Why I don't particularly trust the Faunus?”   
She leaned against the bookshelf by the window, "It's because they've been at war with my family for years. War, as in actual bloodshed. My grandfather's company has had a target painted across its back for as long as I can remember. And ever since I was a child, I've watched family friends disappear; board members executed; an entire train car full of Dust, stolen. And every day, my father would come home, furious. And that made for a very difficult childhood," She banged her fist on the bookshelf.  
"Weiss, I-" Ruby stepped forward to comfort her.  
"No!" she yelled turning away and walked back over to Blake, "You want to know why I despise the White Fang? It's because they're a bunch of liars, thieves, and murderers!"  
"Well maybe we were just tired of being pushed around!" Blake yelled out, her emotions taking over completely. My heart stopped as the words fell out of her mouth, she never wanted the secret of her past to come out. Silence dropped down on us. A surprised Weiss backed away slowly, and Blake realizing her mistake looked around at our teammates.  
"I... I..." she stuttered and dashed out the door.  
"Blake, wait! Come back!" Ruby ran over to the door and called to her down the hallway as I sit down shocked and defeated, Weiss looked down in thought. I cried myself to sleep that night, I spent half the night walking the grounds looking for Blake with no results.   
It was morning at Beacon now. Ruby woke up from her beauty sleep, yawning in the process. She looked over at Blake's empty bunk, and groaned sadly. I made the decision to go search for her by walking through the empty streets of Vale. It had been two days of searching until our feet ached, I didn’t even stop to eat, stopping only when the exhaustion hit did I go back to the dorm to sleep.  
"She's been gone all weekend..." Ruby scuffed her boot on the sidewalk.  
"Blake's a big girl, I'm sure she can handle herself!" Weiss stuck her nose in the air.  
"Weiss, come on. She's one of our teammates," I stamped down the flame of anger that threated to ignite. Throwing a tantrum wouldn’t help us find Blake any faster.  
"Is she? We all heard what she said!" Weiss scoffed.  
"Weiss," Ruby pleaded.  
"Maybe she is, maybe she isn't. Either way, she's missing and we need to find her!" It wasn’t my story to tell, I wouldn’t betray Blake’s trust.  
"A member of the White Fang! Right underneath our noses!" Weiss grumbled.  
"I just hope she's okay..." Ruby sighed before calling out "Blaaaake!"  
"Blaaaake!" I called out as well.  
"Blaaaaaaaake! Where aaaare yoooouuuu!?"  
"Blake!"  
Ruby turned on Weiss, "Weiiiiss, you're not helping!"  
"Oh! You know what might be able to help? The police!"  
"Ugh, Weiss..."  
"It was just an idea!"  
"Yeah, a bad one."  
"Weiss, I think we should hear her side of the story before we jump to any conclusions," I tried to calm her down.  
"I think that when we hear it, you'll all realize I was right!" Weiss said.  
"And I think Weiss' hair looks wonderful today!" Penny’s voice sounded out behind us.  
"Aaaah! Penny! Where did you come from!?" We turned around surprised.  
Penny cheerfully ignored the question, "Hey guys! What are you up to?"  
"Uhh..." Ruby gaped.  
"We're looking for our friend Blake," I said sadly.  
"Ooooh, you mean the Faunus girl!" Penny said in realization.  
"Wait, how did you know that?" Ruby said confused.  
"Uhh, the cat ears?" Penny pointed to her head.  
"What cat ears? She wears a... boooohhh..." I laughed a little bit uncomfortably before giving up. The realization leaves the others in silence as a tumbleweed blows through in the wind.  
"She does like tuna a lot..." Ruby whispered.  
"So, where is she?" Penny asked.  
"We don't know. She's been missing since Friday," Ruby answered.  
"That's terrible!" Penny gasped and approached an uncomfortable Ruby, "Well, don't you worry Ruby, my friend! I won't rest until we find your teammate!"  
“Uh, that's really nice of you, Penny, but we're okay! Really! Right, guys?" Ruby did her best to continue smiling. She looked over Penny to direct her question at me and Weiss, but we were already gone. A tumbleweed blows past them again in the quiet.  
"It sure is windy today!" Penny chirped as we disappeared.


End file.
